


together with you

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff and Smut, M/M, Moving In Together, Running away to be gay in PEACE, adopting a cat?, the smut is not super explicit but it is there, trans male character (byleth)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 07:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21388720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After the war ends and those who slither in the dark are defeated, Byleth and Jeritza depart from Fódlan to live a life of solitude together.
Relationships: Jeritza von Hrym/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 11
Kudos: 190





	together with you

After a while, Byleth started to have no sense of time. He can't remember if it's been weeks, moons, maybe even years since the two of them left the castle together. Jeritza tells him he really should keep a calendar on him—in truth, Jeritza doesn't know what day or even what moon it is, either.

The flow of time soon becomes irrelevant when you're this happy.

"Urf..."

The ship hits a particularly nasty wave and sends the two jostling into each other. Byleth offers Jeritza a small smile as he stands on his tippy toes and holds him upright, but Jeritza is too focused on the fact that he's about to throw up to appreciate the affection.

"Are you seasick?" Byleth asks. "You haven't been seasick the entire time until now."

"I'm fine," Jeritza says, yet the way he's gripping his stomach says otherwise.

Before Byleth can fuss over Jeritza any more, the captain's voice booms over their own, informing the crew that they'll be in Dagda in no less than half an hour. Everyone on the ship cheers nearly as loudly as when the war had finally ended.

Byleth grabs Jeritza's hand and drags him to the front of the ship. Land is in their distant view, decorated with little buildings and some of the tallest mountains the two have ever seen. Their home, Dagda—this will be their new home, where the two of them can live a life of peace and solitude.

Overcome with relief, Jeritza squeezes Byleth's hand tighter, then prompty vomits off the side of the ship.

* * *

Neither of them knew what to expect once they set foot in a new, foreign continent. The only things Byleth knows about Dagda are from offhanded things Shamir had said before—which certainly isn't a lot to pick off from, because she rarely mentioned her homeland.

One thing they can both agree on, at least, is that it's much hotter than they had expected. The people are also much friendlier than gossip and rumors made them out to be. Unsurprisingly, the residents don't fully understand the Fódlan tongue. Byleth had prepared himself to be ready to struggle with language barriers for a while, but a lot of people seem to understand what he means when he simply points at an item and says 'that one.'

"Hurry, they're melting!" Byleth comes running up to Jeritza with two ice cream cones in his hands; two scoops with vanilla and chocolate for Byleth, and four scoops with strawberry, chocolate, peach, and cookie dough for Jeritza.

Jeritza hurriedly takes the cone from Byleth. "I didn't even see you run off," Jeritza notes. "How did you not manage to drop these on the way here...?"

"I found out what day it is," Byleth says, ignoring Jeritza's question. "It's the fifth of Blue Sea Moon."

Jeritza's eyebrows knit together as he tries remembering when exactly they had departed. Byleth counts on his fingers, which are now sticky and covered in melted ice cream.

"Do you remember what moon it was when we got on the ship?" Byleth asks.

"Please finish your ice cream," Jeritza scolds.

Somehow, Jeritza had already finished his four scoops _and_ the cone before Byleth could even finish his second scoop. Byleth obediently laps at the vanilla ice cream before Jeritza can snatch it out of his hand and finish it for him.

"We left in Pegasus Moon," Jeritza finally answers. "We were on the sea for four moons."

Byleth offers his cone to Jeritza, who gladly takes it from him and starts eating it right away. Byleth then starts licking at his own sticky fingers, much like a cat grooming itself. Jeritza notices immediately and can hardly contain the chuckle that escapes his lips.

Byleth's eyes are widened like saucers as he stares up at Jeritza. "You laughed."

"I did not laugh," Jeritza refutes.

"I made you laugh!"

Jeritza stands up with a pouting huff as he quickly walks away from Byleth. He looks over his shoulder, however, to make sure the man is following after him, then firmly takes Byleth's hand into his own once he catches up with him.

They don't have a destination in mind. The two had simply decided that they would journey around the continent together until they find a perfect place that feels like home.

Jeritza continually stares at Byleth throughout their explorations to hone in on his emotions. After the war ended, Jeritza had noticed a slight change in Byleth that wasn't always there before. He'd suddenly become much more expressive, often wearing his emotions on his face.

Well...to most people, still, Byleth is always wearing a neutral, almost bored expression. No one else had noticed a change in the man except Jeritza. Sometimes, Byleth's lips will quirk in a way they'd never done before, or his eyes will glisten with a newfound light. Jeritza notices all of it—drinks it up like an everlasting tonic.

At Jeritza's request, Byleth uses an extra journal as a calendar. Since they plan on living as far away from socialization as possible, the two of them would never be able to remember what day or moon or even _year_ it is without one of them keeping track.

"Are you writing a letter?" Byleth asks one night.

The moon is high in the sky as Byleth finishes pitching their tent for the night. Jeritza sits in front of a crackling fire, quill and paper in hand as he fervently writes word upon word.

"To Mercedes," Jeritza says, eyes unaverting as Byleth plops down next to him. "I promised her I would keep in touch. Surely, she will scold me for sending one so many moons late."

Byleth rests his cheek against Jeritza's shoulder. That finally catches Jeritza's attention, and he smiles briefly as he mimics the action, bumping his head against Byleth's.

"Are you going to regret leaving her?" Byleth asks, so quietly that it's almost a whisper.

The question makes Jeritza set the quill and paper to the side. He's still completely unaccustomed to being affectionate, and it's made obvious by the way he awkwardly wraps an arm around Byleth's waist. Byleth fully leans against him now, as if desperately trying to melt into him.

"I am going to miss her dearly," Jeritza answers honestly, "but I know she will be fine without me. She's strong...maybe stronger than I ever will be."

"You're strong," Byleth insists. "You're strong, too."

Byleth watches the fire in front of them. He has no family left—no mother, father, and certainly no siblings. Family is something to hold close and cherish, and he knows this now, more than ever, since his only family was taken away from him right before his eyes.

There's an embarrassed hesitation before Jeritza speaks his mind: "You...are also my family now, Byleth. I wish to be by your side, forever, until death takes us away from each other."

Having a heartbeat is still unusual to Byleth. When he's excited or anxious, it beats like a drum in his chest, as if it's going to explode. Particularly, when Jeritza says sweet things to him, he's noticed it beats so erratically that it feels like it's going to jump out of his throat.

"I love you," Byleth murmurs.

Jeritza places a chaste kiss on the top of Byleth's blue hair. "As do I," he says.

* * *

The next morning, after visiting a town to stock up on more supplies and send the letter to Mercedes, the pair travel through the snowy mountains to the north. It is _entirely_ different from the scorching heat that was present when they first arrived in Dagda.

Byleth checks his calendar to cross off yesterday's date as they trudge through the snow. It's now the eleventh of Red Wolf Moon—had they truly been traveling Dagda for nearly four moons now? It never ceases to amaze Byleth how quickly time flies when he's with Jeritza.

The snow worsens into a heavy blizzard as they continue forward. With shaking legs, Byleth stumbles and falls face first into the snowy ground with a loud groan.

"Leave me to die," he cries out.

Jeritza easily lifts him up onto his back with a sigh. "You are far too dramatic," he states.

The storm doesn't relent, however, so Jeritza carries Byleth into an open cave just ahead. Byleth clings to Jeritza's back, his cold body not wanting to let go of such kind warmth.

"Do you think there's bears in here...?" Byleth asks.

The cave seems to go on forever. Jeritza settles on staying towards the middle—far away enough from the entrance so it is not too cold, yet close enough so that on the chance if monsters _do_ inhabit this cave, they can make a quick getaway.

Byleth finally peels himself off from Jeritza's back, only then to face his front and wrap his arms around him into a warm embrace. Jeritza is taken back at first, but then returns the hug sheepishly.

"I will slay any bears that might harm you," Jeritza says.

Byleth tightens the hug. "My hero..."

The snowstorm passes within a few hours, and the two continue on in their journey through the frigid mountains. It feels as though several moons pass before they finally make it to the other side of the damned mountains, but in reality, it had only taken a couple weeks.

As they walk through a wooded forest, Byleth's eyes are shimmering in that way that Jeritza immediately recognizes as wonder. Even in the snow and cold, the forest is bustling with life—birds are flying from tree to tree as they sing, deer watch them from a safe distance, and the vast greenery fights through the wintery temperature. 

"This is so much better than the mountains," Byleth says happily. "There are no hunters here, either. It's so quiet."

Jeritza smiles fondly down at him. The sun is beginning to set, and he ponders for a moment if they shouldn't stop to set up camp until he sees what appears to be a cabin in the distance.

Byleth seems to have noticed too, for he asks, "Do you think anyone lives there?"

They figure the worst that could happen is that whoever lives there chases them out of their yard with a bow and arrow. It's not like that's anything the two of them couldn't handle together. Byleth knocks on the door first, but when nobody answers, Jeritza slowly opens the door and walks in carefully, poking his head around every corner.

"No one is here," he finally says. "You can come in."

Byleth creeps into the cabin behind Jeritza, scanning every single inch of every single room. It's well furnished, with tables, couches, even beds—but it seems as if it was abandoned quite a while ago. Dust litters the air, making Byleth sneeze, and spiderwebs occupy every single corner. It's a tiny little place, with only a living room, a kitchen, and a single bedroom, yet...that's really all they need.

"What about here?" Jeritza asks.

Byleth pokes his head out from the bedroom to look at Jeritza, who is standing in the middle of the living room. "What do you mean?"

"Let's live here."

"Huh?!" Byleth practically yells. "What if someone still lives here?"

"Surely you jest." Jeritza walks into the bedroom to be with Byleth, and takes his hands into his own. "I tire of wandering around. It feels as though this place...was made for us."

"Jeritza..." Byleth leans forward into Jeritza, a content sigh escaping him. "I like it here. I like the forest. I like this cabin, and I like you."

"Then is there anything more to ponder?" Jeritza asks with a smile.

"I don't like the dust," Byleth tacks on, followed by a sneeze.

It only takes them a few days to get the cabin into a livable condition. There's a riverbed not too far off where Byleth is able to wash the bedding, and luckily, the snow holds off long enough to let everything dry without also becoming frozen solid.

As he collects the blankets from the clothesline, something rubs against his legs. He's trained himself to not flinch, but it still surprises him nonetheless when he looks down and sees a black cat looking up at him with round yellow eyes.

"We are running low on food," Jeritza says, walking towards Byleth to help him gather everything. "Perhaps we should..."

The cat at Byleth's feet hisses and shrinks into a ball at Jeritza's presence. Byleth promptly places the blankets he is holding into Jeritza's arms, then kneels down and gently scratches the cat's ears. Any sign of discomfort is soon forgotten as the cat purrs and rubs its head against Byleth's hand.

"It has a collar," Byleth points out. "I think the previous owners abandoned it when they left..."

Jeritza wants so badly to pet the cat, but blankets now occupy his arms. "Let's bring it inside, then."

The cat offers no objections to Byleth lifting it into his arms. It stares wearily at Jeritza as they enter the cabin; Jeritza is simply glad it is not hissing at him anymore.

Once Jeritza makes their bed, he walks into the kitchen, where Byleth is pouring a bowl of milk for the cat. It laps it up eagerly, so hungry that it does not even complain when Jeritza reaches down and pets the top of its head.

"What should we name it?" Byleth looks in between the cat's back legs. "Uh, her? I think? What should we name her?"

"Do we intend to keep her?" Jeritza asks.

The question is obvious to the both of them—so obvious, in fact, that it does not require an answer. Instead, they both sit together on the floor next to the cat, considering each and every name option.

"Hubert," Byleth suggests. "Doesn't she kind of look like him?"

"Hubert," Jeritza repeats. He's struggling not to allow himself to laugh. "Yes, we shall name her Hubert."

They soon discover that there is a town within a couple hours walking distance. When they eventually settle down and are able to get themselves a horse, it'll become an even quicker trip. Though Jeritza does not relish the thought of having to go into town often for supplies, it's only logical that they cannot live in the middle of a forest and do everything completely by themselves.

It is a nice boon, however, that the town is far away enough that none of the townspeople would come to know where they live. They can still live their life in peaceful solitude, away from the annoying hustle and bustle of every day life.

"I'm hooooome," Byleth calls out. 

He carries handfuls of bags filled with food and supplies. He sets everything down on the kitchen counter, then pokes his head into the bedroom when Jeritza doesn't respond to him. He lays there, in bed, with furry little Hubert resting on his chest.

It is late, after all. The moon had been in the sky for many hours before Byleth finally arrived back at the cabin. The sight of his two favorite things in the world, sleeping peacefully together in bed, makes his heart do somersaults inside of his chest.

Byleth settles into bed next to Jeritza, cozying up to him as he pulls the blankets up over the both of them. Hubert shifts awake, yawning and stretching her legs before getting up and placing herself right in between Byleth and Jeritza. Byleth scratches behind her ears, too distracted by the cat to notice that Jeritza's eyes had opened.

When a hand reaches out and cups Byleth's cheek, Byleth doesn't hesitate as he leans into the touch, nuzzling his face into Jeritza's warm hand. It's so sickeningly _sweet_, but Jeritza loves sweet things, and he's smiling wider than Byleth has ever seen before in his life.

"You're smiling," Byleth says quietly. "You've been smiling a lot lately."

"I'm happy," Jeritza responds, so sure of himself that there isn't an ounce of hesitation in his voice.

Byleth can't help himself and leans forward, pressing his lips against Jeritza's so gently that it leaves Jeritza craving more intimacy. He sits up, back against the headboard, and jostles Hubert around in a way that makes her yowl in annoyance and jump off the bed. With the cat out of the way, Jeritza pulls Byleth into his lap and kisses him harder, his arms wrapped so tightly around Byleth's back, as if he's afraid he might fade into thin air if he lets go of him.

"How do you think Hubert is doing?" Byleth asks, between kisses. "The real Hubert, I mean."

Jeritza's lips and teeth graze against Byleth's neck. "Could you _please_ not mention Hubert while I am being intimate with you."

That makes Byleth laugh, an angelic sound to Jeritza's ears. It's then soon replaced with a low, gasping moan, then a shrill shriek as one of Jeritza's hands venture their way down into Byleth's pants.

Byleth bumps his forehead against Jeritza's own and stares deeply into his eyes with a hungry expression that Jeritza soon identifies as lust. Gods, it's been _ages_ since they've done something like this, and it's leaving Jeritza feeling almost a little sheepish. Truthfully, they never have made it past heavy kissing and some grinding. He initiated this, however, and cannot cowardly leave Byleth hanging.

"I've...never been one for this sort of thing," Jeritza admits, his tone small and shy.

"Me neither," Byleth says with a smile. "It's okay. We can figure it out together."

Jeritza snakes a hand up Byleth's shirt and softly rubs his back, an act so gentle that it catches Byleth off guard when Jeritza uses his other hand to rub circles around Byleth's clit. Byleth lets out another shakey moan, and by the goddess Sothis, if he isn't careful, he feels as if he's going to finish in thirty seconds flat.

Byleth shudders as Jeritza leaves marks across his neck, painting him a wonderfully bruised red, leaving his signature so that all may know that this portrait belongs to him. Jeritza's fingers down below grow more courageous, delving inside of Byleth, and he cries out weakly, slumping his head onto Jeritza's shoulder.

"Do you—" Byleth gulps hard, stammering. "Do you still want to k-kill me?"

The question makes Jeritza stop what he's doing on the spot. His hands soon forget what they had been doing before as they wrap themselves around Byleth, so tight that it's almost difficult for him to breathe.

"Byleth," Jeritza murmurs. He grabs Byleth by the chin and forces him to look at his face, but Byleth's eyes are wandering around everywhere but him. "Byleth, my sweet, dearest Byleth."

"I'm sorry," Byleth hiccups.

Jeritza hadn't even considered that Byleth might still worry about the things he's said in the past. The truth is, that in this past year they've spent together in Dagda, he's been so profoundly _happy_ that he'd completely forgotten all about his wish to die by Byleth's hand, or to sink his sword deep into Byleth's flesh and watch the life drain out of him...

No, he hasn't had those thoughts for an entire year. Perhaps more than that, since before they even decided to leave the Empire together. If he were to place death's will upon Byleth, he would never again be as happy as he is now, for the source of all this happiness would be gone from his life forever.

The Death Knight's presence no longer seems to linger inside of his blackened heart. He's sure, though, it is not something that can easily be washed away—in fact, the Death Knight will be a part of him forever, a grim reminder of the bloodlust that once took hold of his life.

Yet, now, with Byleth at his side, driving away that maddening part of who he is...it is much simpler now. He feels like himself, the man he once used to be at his core. He feels as if he can finally be Emile von Bartels once more.

"I love you," Jeritza says. "Until I give my last dying breath, I will love you, and I will never let any harm befall you, especially not by my own sullied hands."

A dam breaks inside of Byleth suddenly. He _cries_, cries for only the second time in his life—but these are happy tears. Tears of relief, that the man he's fallen hopelessly in love with feels just as strongly as he does.

"Do not cry," Jeritza practically whimpers. "I... I do not know what to do when someone is crying..."

Byleth wipes at his tears, hiccuping out a giggle as he carefully presses his lips against Jeritza's. Without skipping a beat, Jeritza kisses him back, so fondly and passionately that it takes Byleth's breath away.

"I love you so much," Byleth whispers. "I want to be this happy forever."

Hubert mewls unhappily as she's forced to sleep on the floor while the bed creaks all night.

* * *

Jeritza sits outside on the porch, a smile on his face as he reads a letter sent to him from Mercedes. Unfortunately, with their distance being so great, it takes several moons for them to even receive each other's letters, but the simpleness of being able to communicate otherwise is enough for Jeritza.

_"Are you happy, Emile?"_ Mercedes had written in her letter.

_"Yes,"_ Jeritza writes in his reply. _"I am so happy that I feel as if my heart may burst any second."_

Byleth steps outside of the cabin, greeted by the unusually warm spring air. The snow has finally begun to melt, and it fills him with childlike excitement: soon, the two of them will be able to start their own vegetable garden, and not have to rely entirely on going into town every other week for groceries.

"Hold out your hand," Byleth commands.

Jeritza looks up at him quizzically, but does as he's told, setting his things aside. He puts out his right hand, palm open, and Byleth frowns as he turns Jeritza's hand the other way himself. He then pulls a shimmering ring out of his pocket and slides it onto Jeritza's ring finger.

"Oh?" Jeritza blinks at the ring, eyes widening. "Is this... Are you proposing to me?"

Byleth laughs, a bit bashfully. "We don't have to get married or anything. I just wanted you to have it. Is that the hand it's supposed to go on?"

Jeritza lifts his hand up to his face, staring at the ring with all of the affection in the universe. "I'm afraid I do not have one to gift to you."

"It's okay!" Byleth sits down in the chair next to him, a big grin on his face. "My dad told me to give that to someone I love. So, you know... I love you."

"You do not want to gift it to Hubert instead?" Jeritza teases.

Hubert meows from inside the cabin upon hearing her name.

"Are you talking about the cat or the man?" Byleth pouts. "Don't talk about Hubert when I'm proposing to you."

Jeritza laughs, leaning forward and placing a kiss upon Byleth's cheek. "I love you so dearly."

**Author's Note:**

> i beat crimson flower in 2 days to get to jeritza and marry him.....could literally cry that my rarepair suddenly become canon it feels like a DREAM!!! thank you for reading also i hope you enjoyed it!!!!


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